Nambucca Shire Council Installs EV Chargers, Solar To Come

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Nambucca Shire Council has installed EV charging stations for public use in the towns of Nambucca and Macksville, and there could be a bunch of solar power on the way.

Nambucca Shire is a local government area in the mid north coast region of New South Wales. At its December 2018 meeting, Council resolved to install the charging equipment.

“These projects will enable Council to be seen in the community as leading the way with respect to emissions reductions and clean energy,” stated Council minutes.

The Nambucca Guardian reports the EV charging points, KEBA P30 models (series not mentioned), are now up and running. One is situated at Nambucca Library in Ridge Street and the other at Macksville’s McKay Street carpark. Funded by Council’s  Environmental Levy, it appears use of the chargers is free. They are compatible with all EVs but electric vehicle owners will need to BYO charging leads.

“Having access to charging stations is about providing the infrastructure the Nambucca Shire needs going forward,” said Nambucca Shire Councillor Anne Smyth.

As for the electricity supply for these chargers, it looks be just standard mains grid currently. However, Council may soon be installing solar panels across multiple buildings in its portfolio and sourcing off-site renewables that will help to reduce emissions associated with its electricity use generally.

Renewable Energy Action Plan

At its April 24 meeting, Council voted in favour of adopting the Nambucca Shire Council Renewable Energy Action Plan (REAP)  prepared by 100% Renewable.

The REAP sets out recommended actions for the short, medium and long term.

In terms of solar power, for the short term it recommends installing 78 kW of PV at six sites that will generate 110 MWh of clean electricity annually.  Allowing for expenses, the simple payback for these systems is estimated at 4.5 to 5.6 years. The first site to get solar panels will be Council’s Administration Building (49.8kW).

In the medium term, the REAP recommends nearly 80 kW more solar capacity. Additionally, an extra 66kW of PV could be installed on the Macksville Aquatic Center, which is owned by Council but leased to a third party.

The long-term recommendation is for another 108 kW of solar PV, which may involve expanding existing or short and medium-term recommended systems in some cases.

Power purchase agreements (PPAs) are also recommended in the three scenarios to further boost Council’s use of renewables.

Council says if all the actions of the Plan are implemented, it can realistically set a target of using 60% renewable energy for its electricity requirements by 2030 and a medium term target of 30% by 2023-2024.

“If these targets of 60% by 2030 and 30% by 2023-2024 are achieved, then Council would reduce carbon emissions from electricity by 70% in the long term and 40% in the short term,” it states.

Other recommended measures in the plan to help Council towards these results include upgrading lighting to LEDs and the purchase of more energy efficient equipment; including air conditioners and pumps.

The Nambucca Shire Council Renewable Energy Action Plan (REAP) can be downloaded here.